One Last Look Around
by LysCat
Summary: Before joining the rest of the team for a meal, Daisy and Jemma stop at the remains of the base to make sure nothing important was left behind. While there, they run into a couple of people least expected.


Title: One Last Look Around  
Author: Alysia  
Category: Crossover between Avengers and Agents of SHIELD  
Summary: Before joining the rest of the team for a meal, Daisy and Jemma stop at the remains of the base to make sure nothing important was left behind. While there, they run into a couple of people least expected.  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel.  
Author's Note: Set during season 4 of AOS. In this, the group has dealt with Aida, but have not yet gone to the diner (thus being abducted). Oh, and in this, half of the Avengers are aware that Coulson is alive and have been in contact with him periodically. There is a bit of flirtation going on, but no official romantic pairings.

"Have you seen the news?"

He'd been sitting in front of his television, watching in horror, when his phone rang. "I can't believe it…" Steve Rogers trailed off. The news had to be wrong. It just didn't make sense that Daisy would do something like that, try and murder someone in cold blood, in a room full of government officials.

The one silver lining upon his decision to leave Captain America behind was his introduction to Daisy Johnson. He'd met her one rainy evening when both had been staking out the same building, trying to stop the Watchdogs. He hadn't been prepared to meet anyone like her. They'd quickly bonded over their similar situations and had become fast friends.

If he'd been surprised to learn that SHEILD had been resurrected from the ashes and that she was part of the organization, he'd been even more floored when Daisy let it slip one that night that one agent Coulson was alive. Steve had been quick to share the information with Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, knowing that his teammates had once been quasi-close with the not-so-dead agent.

After Daisy made her way to California, they'd kept in touch by phone calls and text messages. She'd explained her introduction to the man with the flaming skull and her return to Coulson with said vengeance demon. One of the first things she'd done upon her reunion with the (then) former Director, was explain her new friendship with Steve and his knowledge that Coulson was alive. It had been around that time that Coulson began talking to Natasha and Clint once again.

By the time he learned about the Darkhold, his conversations with Daisy had lessened considerably. And when he learned about LMD's their conversations were almost non-existent. Logically, he knew that Daisy was able to take care of herself, but when she went completely dark, it didn't stop him from worrying. After months of silence from her, his first grain of knowledge about her was that she was a wanted woman.

"Have you heard from them?"

Steve shook his head in negative before remembering that his friend would be unable to see it. "No, have you?"

"No," Natasha Romanoff replied quietly. "I tried calling, but every number I've dialed goes directly to voicemail." She hadn't met Daisy personally but given the things that Steve had shared and Coulson had praised, she felt like she knew the Inhuman. "Why would she do something like that?"

"I don't think she did," he replied after a moment of quiet speculation. "When you last spoke to Coulson, did he tell you what was going on?"

"No," she sighed. "He…we never spoke of things that SHIELD was dealing with, and as far as I know, it's the same with Clint. Why?"

Steve pursed his lips, wondering if there was a reason for Coulson's decision not to confide in his former agents. "You up for a little trip?" He asked, instead of answering her question.

"You want to go to the base?" It wasn't difficult to deduce his reason for asking.

"I do," he acknowledged. "I'll tell you everything, Nat, but…I can't help feeling that something went very wrong."

Across the line, the former assassin frowned into the phone. "If that's the case, why wouldn't they have reached out for help?" If Coulson, or even Daisy, called, she'd have been there in a heartbeat as back-up.

"I don't know," he expelled a deep breath. "But I plan on finding out."

* * *

Three hours later, they'd landed near the Playground. During the flight, Steve had explained the life model decoys the organization had been dealing with to the best of his ability. It wasn't nearly as detailed as his companion would have liked, but she seemed to grasp enough of his stuttered explanation.

Upon seeing the rubble that was the entrance, things had taken a serious turn when they took in the condition of the base. By the time they made their way inside, both were unnerved and cautious of their steps.

"It looks like a bomb exploded in here," Natasha voiced. What had Coulson been dealing with?

His attention fell to a severed leg. "I think one did." Careful not to disturb the limb, he carefully knelt down to inspect it. After some of the horrific things he'd seen during the war, the fact that the leg appeared so intact without any blood struck him as odd.

She'd seen plenty in her relatively short life, but the destruction around them left her heart feeling heavy. How many people had been inside when the bomb went off? When Steve grabbed the limb, and held it out to her, she took notice of the metal. "It was a robot," she breathed, feeling a surge of hope.

The former Avenger set it back down as they made their way further inside the base. Various body parts were strewn about the base, all of them like the leg they'd first encountered. Making sure to stay within eyesight of one another, each ventured away from each other. "I've got blood," Steve called out to her. "I've got a lot of blood," he muttered, mostly to himself. His heart dropped then, what if the blood belonged to Daisy or Coulson?

"So not everyone made it out unscathed…"

The voice drifted closer to him and he straightened up, deciding not to focus on the what-if's "Where are the bodies?" He asked, looking around. Based on the amount of blood, he expected to see corpses. "Who came in and cleaned up?" Before she could provide an answer, Steve was alerted by the sound of footsteps with his sensitive hearing. "We aren't alone."

Dropping into her fighting stance, Natasha readied herself for a confrontation.

"Where do you think we'll go now?" A feminine voice asked.

"I'm sure Coulson has a plan," another voice replied.

It was a voice that Steve recognized, and upon hearing it, he straightened up. His shoulders lightened considerably when he heard Daisy's voice. Natasha followed suit and they waited to be seen.

From the other hallway, Daisy Johnson walked with Jemma Simmons as they made one last sweep through the building. After their final stand against Aida, they returned to the base one last time to make sure any and all paperwork left was hidden away. Coulson wasn't sure how long it would be before the Playground would be up and running, if ever, and didn't want to leave things around for someone to stumble upon.

Looking at the ruins that surrounded them, Daisy frowned. She had never had a chance to set roots down, as she'd moved around since she was sixteen, but it was getting more difficult to leave things behind. First the bus, and now this place? She supposed it was a good thing that she traveled light. Turning the corner, she spotted two figures. Moving in front of Jemma, she held her hand out to defend Jemma and herself. It wasn't until she took a closer look that recognition settled over her. "Steve?" She asked, lowering her hand.

"Captain America is here," Jemma observed dazedly. Why was Captain America there? Why were Captain America and the Black Widow there? And…did Daisy just call him Steve? Since when was she on a first name basis with him? And more importantly, how did she not know this beforehand?

Daisy ignored her friend for the moment, focusing on the Avengers. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find you," he admitted flatly. He moved closer to her, placing his hands around the top of her arms, he began to inspect her for injuries. "You went dark and then the next thing I know, your face is plastered all over the news after trying to kill an Army General."

"General Talbot," Daisy said, informing him of his name. "And it wasn't me that did that."

"I know," he replied easily, as he gave her an appraising look. Daisy would never kill someone in cold blood the way the news was portraying her. Realizing that he was still holding on to her, he released her arms and stepped back. He forced himself not to blush, not wanting to give Nat any ammunition to use against him at a later date.

Looking between them, Natasha stepped forward. "Daisy," she spoke, holding out her hand for the woman to shake it. "It's nice to officially meet you." Though they'd spoken on the phone a handful of times, it was nice to put a face to the voice.

Daisy met her half way and returned the gesture. "You too." She stepped away so Jemma could move closer. "This is Jemma Simmons. Jemma, I'm sure they don't need to be introduced to you."

"You and I need to have a serious conversation," she muttered to Daisy before pasting a bright smile on her face. "It's so lovely to meet you both."

Once the pleasantries were over, Natasha moved the conversation back to business. "What happened here?" Both SHIELD agents began to speak at the same time.

"I'm afraid it's a long story," Jemma supplied.

"An insanely powerful robot kidnapped our team and replaced them with robots, life model decoys, that tried to take over. There was a fight and robot May set off a bomb so that Simmons and I could get away. Skip forwards however long later, more robots came to the base and the US Army tried to fight them off." Daisy replied, giving them the abridged version. "It…didn't go very well for the army or our agents.

"Okay, so not that long then," the biochemist sighed.

The Avengers looked between the women. "And you were dark for so long, why?" Steve asked, focusing on Daisy.

"Would you believe us if we said that we went into a computer simulated world to get our team back?" The Inhuman asked.

Natasha arched a single eyebrow upon hearing the question. What had SHIELD gotten into? "A computer simulated world?" What was Coulson mixed up in?

"Oh, it was awful," Jemma replied. "Hydra had taken over and there was no SHIELD, Daisy was working for them and I was dead." She supposed she could have explained more about the team's experience, but she still had a few things to work out before could explain it to anyone else. Instead she kept her explanation brief and slightly more personal. "I woke up in the coffin my counterpart was apparently buried in."

Natasha could only shake her head. How traumatizing that must have been. "What about you?" She asked, looking to Daisy.

"My live-in boyfriend was the counterpart to the Hydra agent on our team here." She shook her head not wanting to think about her time in there. "So, you came all the way here because you were worried about me?" She asked Steve, turning to him. "That's kind of sweet." She watched his face turn an interesting shade of pink and continued on. "If I didn't know you had a girlfriend, I would totally be crushing on you right now."

Jemma's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open upon hearing the way that Daisy was speaking to Steve-bloody-Rogers. How had her friend become close enough to him to tease him and she didn't know? She narrowed her eyes on Daisy and took notice to the way her friend was looking at the enhanced man. She'd seen that look in Daisy's eyes before, she'd seen it when it was directed at Ward and Lincoln. Was she actually flirting with him?

Natasha smirked watching the scene. She really enjoyed it when Steve blushed. It didn't mater if she was witnessing it or causing it, she found pleasure in it nonetheless. She turned an appraising eye on Daisy and wondered if there was a hint of flirtation behind the teasing. She wondered what would be said if she told the brunette that Steve was currently single? "Actually-" She spoke up, before she could say more an elbow harshly dug into her side. She turned to look at Steve.

"Actually, we should probably go," Steve spoke up then, pasting a forced smile onto his face. "Now that we know you're okay, we won't take up any more of your time. You seem to be on a mission."

"The last time we were here we were chased out by the robots so we're going through…whatever is left after the government decided to help themselves."

Steve frowned upon hearing the explanation.

"We should be wrapping it up soon, Coulson is expecting all of us to meet back up," Jemma spoke after a slightly awkward silence settled over the quartet.

"Do you know where you'll be going?" Steve asked, knowing that there was no way the building around them was stable or suitable for habitation.

"I expect it will come up tonight," Simmons admitted. "It was nice meeting both you, but we really need to be getting back to our exploration." Both Natasha and Steve nodded at her before turning back towards Daisy.

"Once we get settled in I'll give you guys a call," she spoke before either could say anything. She'd seen the uncertainty in the expression on his face when he learned that they had no place in mind yet.

"Please remind Coulson that we're here if you guys need anything," Natasha said.

Daisy nodded. "Will do," she acknowledged before pulling the redhead into her arms. By the way the woman stiffened in her arms, she assumed that physical contact wasn't something Natasha dealt with on a day-to-day basis. "You'll keep him out of trouble, yes?" Daisy whispered, hoping that Steve's sensitive hearing wouldn't be able to make out her words.

"When I can," Natasha replied honestly and pulled away from the brunette. She moved several feet away in effort to give the illusion of privacy for the couple.

"I don't like this," Steve said in a soft voice when he figured there was enough privacy. He didn't like the idea that they had no back-up plan in place.

She gave him a small smile. "I know, but it is what it is," Daisy spoke then. "I meant it when I said I would call you when we were settled somewhere. Coulson will be disappointed to have missed seeing you guys." Despite the fact that Coulson had spoken with Natasha, Clint and Steve, he had yet to meet them face to face.

"Serves him right for not having a back-up plan," Steve mumbled, though she'd heard it all the same.

Daisy frowned at him. She'd never known him to badmouth anyone, except maybe Stark; and even that was few and far between. "Coulson's been through a lot, we all have," she reminded him. "I have faith in him, Steve. He won't let us down." If she couldn't believe in the organization they were trying to resurrect, she certainly believed in her boss.

Thoroughly chastised, the super human had the grace to look away from her. "I know," he admitted with a sigh. "It was unfair of me to say that." He just hated the uncertainty Daisy was facing. She'd been through enough as It was. And the quandary about where they would go, didn't sit well with him.

"Well, as much fun as this protective brother routine is," she brightly, clapping her hands together. "I should go help Simmons."

Steve nearly blanched upon listening to her words. A brother? She saw him as a brother? Because he certainly didn't feel very brotherly towards her. Not that he'd act on anything he'd been experiencing for the past several months… But still, a brother?

Missing the troubled look on his face, Daisy leaned in and hugged him. "I'll see you…" she trailed off and thought about how often it was they tended to see one another, "next year," she finished, pulling away from him.

He chuckled upon hearing her words. "What's going to happen to you in regards to the shooting?" He asked, the mood changing.

The brunette could only shrug. "I don't really know," she admitted. She figured it would just be one more thing to deal with the next day.

"If you need anything…" He trailed off, letting her know that she could always call him.

She nodded once. "Thanks. See you around, Steve."

She turned to walk away, and he stood motionless as he watched her. When she finally turned the corner, he spun around to join Natasha. However, he was startled when he turned around to find her standing right behind him. "Yes?"

She didn't look the least bit amused. "Why didn't you tell her that you were single?"

"This? Again? I thought you gave up on the dating thing?" When would she let go of it?

"Well, I didn't, so why?" She replied flatly as they made their way to the jet.

Steve could only sigh in exasperation. "This is hardly the time to start a relationship." It was a weak excuse, he knew that. However, with as much time as he spent with Bucky, it would hardly be fair to start a romantic relationship with anyone. Aside from that, Daisy had just likened him to a brother. It wasn't exactly a confidence booster.

"Steve," she said in disappointment and shook her head at him. "Being an Avenger, working within SHEILD…there is no ideal time. The world is always going to be threatened in one way or another." If SHIELD wasn't able to take care of the situation then the Avengers would. And as much as Steve insisted he was no longer an Avenger, he was. "We see enough badness in our line of work. you should take the opportunity to let the good in when you can."

"Did you not hear the part where she compared me to a brother?" He tried again.

She winced. "You know, if you weren't so aloof, that would never have happened," Natasha observed pointedly.

"I'm not aloof."

"No, you're casual, indifferent, reserved, neutral, unmoved-"

"You're more than welcome to stop anytime," Steve cut her off. "Fine, next time she calls, I'll…try and find a way to bring it up."

She immediately shook her head. "No, you won't," the redhead denied. "That's okay, I'll take care of everything."

"Please don't, Nat." He could get his own dates.

"No, really, I insist," she told him innocently. "Now, lets head back to New York," she added on, not giving him the opportunity to argue…against anything.

End


End file.
